Initial Thoughts on the WM-00

[zombywoof]

So I know you  all shudder with anticipation to hear what a Kalamazoo-made  Gibson former Yippie thinks of this new fangled  Bozeman guitar.  Well, here tis.  Me Like.

Fist my thanks to Larry who brought me and this guitar together.    This is now the second time a forum member has managed to put me and a Gibson  in the same room. gotten me and a Gibson together.  As to my thoughts it appears the WM series were available from 1998 to 2001 and was Bozeman's first attempt at a budget line .  They offered four models in the line..  It s not hard to see where Gibson cut corners.  Morado fingerboard and bridge, natural top, single ring rosette, simple black pickguard,  and such.  Everything you need and nothing you do not.  The one thing that escapes me is the gold Rotomatic tuners which were used on this line..  Seems terribly out of place on these Plain Jane guitars.  Larry had already swapped these out though for a set of double line Kluson Keystones.

Based on the serial number this particular WM-00 was built in 2001 (not 1999 as I originally throught) making it the only guitar I own which was birthed in the century I am living in.  It has a semi-rounded lower bout which was not based on anything  from a past catalog but was a pure Bozeman concoction.  It has the same width as a 1930s L-00  but with a deep body clocking in at the same depth as a J45.   The spruce top wood is nice with a decent amount of silking.  The mahogany body is just plain uninspiring.  As dull looking as it gets.  And that Martin-style tear drop pickguard has got to go.  The nut width is 1 3/4" and the neck carve what I call a Vintage C  or what  some refer to as a Fat C.  The top and neck have a gloss finish and the back and rim a satin.  What is strange to my eye is the bracing.  The two back braces down near the butt are huge - at least  1/4" wide with a flattened top.  The top bracing is not unlike  my '42 J50 being it is more tapered than scalloped    Skipping the final sanding might have been a cost saving measure..  

Now the sound.  With the first fat open chord, I  knew this guitar screamed out for a heavier gauge  than the 11s which were on  it.  I started with  Newtone 12-52s and will probably go with a 12-54 on the next go round.  Full -tilt mids with a crisp high end and that Gibson thump on the  low end.  The heavier gauge strings should bring this out even more.  This guitar does not decay as quick as my older Gibsons which will take some getting used to..   

Without  further adieu here are some pics.  As I have not yet gotten round to taking any photos I will use some which Larry had posted.  Hope he does not mind.

Edited November 19, 2019 by zombywoof

[j45nick]

Nice one, ZW!

I know you love vintage, but Bozeman has built (and continues to build) great guitars.

[bobouz]

Re the WM line, all had departed by 2001 except the WM-45.

I had two of them - an ‘01, and a second one that was either an ‘03 or ‘04.  The latter had graduated to a full gloss finish as opposed to the earlier satin back & sides.

Both were fine instruments but were traded off in favor of a ‘02 J-45 Rosewood, which I still have.

[Jinder]

That's a super cool little beast! Love it. I have only ever played a WM45 but found it a really punchy and mids-rich instrument, like a J45 but with more teeth. Would love to find a WM-00 one day!